A Rangers day is now incomplete without some element of high farce. This brief, unfinished Championship clash with Hearts followed the pattern.

When referee Bobby Madden blew his whistle to bring an impossible contest to an end after 25 minutes he managed, briefly, to achieve something remarkable.

For one, possibly two, minutes he was more unpopular than the Rangers board — a board facing a General Meeting seeking their removal and which, for most of a snow-bound evening faced calls — strongly expressed — to take themselves where the sun doesn’t shine.

VIDEO Scroll down for Rangers fans break into Ibrox rioting in protest against the board

Rangers fans protest before the match over claims that Ibrox is to be mortgaged off to shareholder Mike Ashley

Home supporters hold a banner making their feelings about the Rangers board and Newcastle owner Ashley known

The closest anyone came was when Alim Ozturk smashed a 30-yard free-kick towards goal, Rangers keeper Steve Simonsen tipping the ball onto the bar. ‘Bobby (Madden) came over and asked what our thoughts were and I said I felt it was getting dangerous,’ said Hearts boss Neilson.

‘It was only a matter of time, if the game had gone on, that someone got a bad injury.

‘At the end of the day, you need to respect the players as well.

‘You can’t say the game’s got to go ahead because it’s on TV or because there are people inside the stadium.

‘Players’ careers are on the line. There are young guys there who have got 15 years ahead of them in the game.

‘If they had kept the game going, it could have ruined a career.’

Live on BT Sport, the match was given the go-ahead 45 minutes before kick-off.

It’s natural to suspect the broadcasters had some say in the decision to play it.

Rangers fans gesture towards Hearts' travelling supporters as an electronic board explains why the game had to be cancelled

Yet Neilson protested: ‘I don’t think the fact the game was live on television had any influence on it. No matter what pitch you are on, you do need to give it a try. I think Bobby made the right decision putting the game on and he made the right decision cancelling it eventually.

‘You get different types of snow when you play. Some of it will break up, some will melt, some will turn to slush and some will turn to ice. Nobody knows beforehand, so you need to take that chance.

‘I watched a bit of the pre-match warm-up and the game was probably running better then, when there was actually more snow on the pitch.

‘But during the game it started to pack down and turn to ice. It was getting worse as the game went on.’

There was no possibility here of a normal football match. No prospect of a spectacle. They will try again soon, at a date yet to be agreed.

‘I’ve no idea when the game will get replayed,’ added Neilson. ‘I don’t know if we have any free weekends before the end of the season. So we’ll just need to have a look and see what suits both teams.’

Police and stewards are forced to hold people back as Hearts and Rangers fans attempt to confront each other inside Ibrox

Rival fans clash after referee Madden decided the match could not continue beyond the 25-minute mark

Rangers fans display a 'Forever Ibrox' banner after continuing their pre-match protests during the game